A Thin Line
by dracoisanerd
Summary: An ongoing Drarry romance. Harry is injured, Draco is forced to take care of him, you know the drill. Set during 6th year AU, Voldemort is already gone. Can't have him ruining their relationship. Rated for romantic content ;) Warnings: Slash
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the characters described in this story, nor do I own the Harry Potter world. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling.

_A/N: This is my first Drarry fanfic, which is hard to believe, seeing as i ship them with all my heart. Anyhow, I hope you like it. Chapters will be posted whenever I have time, so there might be some gaps. Sorry about that. Enjoy!_

Harry couldn't believe it. He had been caught out of bed after hours, and he was serving detention with Malfoy. He couldn't think of a worse punishment. Seething, he made his way to the trophy room, where he would spend the next four hours polishing trophies. When he got there, he was greeted by a beaming Filch, who reveled in punishment. He was glad to see that Draco was equally unhappy.

"Get to it, then. I'll be back at 11:00. If there's any funny business, you'd better believe you'll be punished for it," said Filch proudly.

Harry and Draco nodded miserably as Filch hobbled out. They looked at each other in disgust before pulling out all the trophies and beginning to buff them. Harry felt very odd. He hadn't been alone with Draco since they were eleven, and now they were nearly sixteen. He had managed to dismiss and forget his feelings toward him, but he was afraid they would return. As much as he hated it, he found Draco very attractive. His sleek blonde hair, his high cheekbones, his strong jawline...

"Oi, Potter," Draco sneered, interrupting Harry's thoughts. "What'd you do to land yourself here?"

"Caught out of bed after hours," Harry mumbled.

"Doing something naughty, were you?" Draco asked smugly.

"No, I wasn't," said Harry loudly. "I was sleepwalking," he lied. He had been trying to get into the Room of Requirement to practice, but there was no way he was telling Draco that.

Draco snickered. "Right," he said, obviously not buying it.

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled out a very large and very intricate trophy that he was not looking forward to dealing with. He glanced over at Draco and his heart pulsed a little faster. Malfoy had the first two buttons of his shirt undone and his tie loosened, and his sleeves were rolled up to reveal strong hands and forearms. _Oh, Come off it, Harry_, he scolded himself.

Draco would never admit it, but he had been very much looking forward to this detention. It would be the first time in a while that he and Potter would be alone, and that filled him with excitement. He had loved Harry (_Oh Merlin, Draco, you're becoming a bloody Hufflepuff! _he told himself) since first year, and felt warmth spread through him at the thought of exploring it. He knew that Harry hated him. He had been reminded of it every day since they had first met. A wave of sourness washed over him as he remembered how easily Harry had dismissed him during first year.

"DAMN IT!" he heard Harry shout, followed by a deafening crash. Wheeling around, he was met by the sight of an entire trophy case on the floor, and realized with horror that Harry was under it.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it_, he thought as he brushed off a surge of worry. He rushed over, carefully avoiding the large pieces of broken glass scattered across the floor.

"Harry!" he said loudly, doing his best to contain the panic in his voice. "Merlin, are you alright?"

A muffled and slightly amused voice came from beneath the heavy wood. "Of bloody course not, Malfoy."

Draco felt better knowing Harry was conscious, put all his energy into a levitation charm, and deftly lifted up and moved aside the large cabinet. After doing so, he knelt down beside Harry and helped him to sit up. He was clearly injured, as he was clutching his side and his shoulder was bent at an awkward angle.

"I should get Madame Pomfrey," he said, and Harry nodded, his eyes squeezed shut in pain.

"I'll be right back. Just...stay here and try not to move, alright?" he said hurriedly, standing up and running out of the room and down the corridor towards the infirmary.

Was it just him, or had Draco sounded...worried? Surely not, he hated Harry, but the possibility helped Harry keep his mind of the searing pain in his side and shoulder._ Now is not the time to go all Hufflepuff_, Harry reminded himself harshly. He heard footsteps in the hallway, and was relieved to see Madame Pomfrey and Malfoy rushing towards him.

"Potter!" Madame Pomfrey said shrilly as she knelt beside him and began to cast diagnostic charms. "Can't you go a week without needing a significant dose of Skele-Gro?"

Even through his pain, Harry smiled slightly. It was true, he did have a bit of a knack for getting hurt. He glanced around, searching for Draco. He found him standing in the corner of the room, chewing on his nails. Harry was amused, he had never thought a Malfoy would have such an unhygienic habit. He was also a little pleased at Draco's obvious concern.

When Draco saw him looking, his expression changed immediately to one of bored indifference. Madame Pomfrey took a small contraption from her apron pocket, pointed her wand at it, and stood back as it unfolded into a gurney. In awe, Harry thought he would never tire of magic. He stood up with great effort and collapsed onto the soft fabric, clutching his side. There was a sharp pain in his ribs, and he knew one of them must be broken. With the help of Malfoy, Madame Pomfrey hurried him to the infirmary and quickly transferred him to one of the hospital beds.

While she went off to find a pain-relieving potion, Draco stood awkwardly beside Harry. Rolling his eyes, Harry said, "Well you can sit down, you know". Draco did so silently, looking slightly irritated.

Harry had been expecting him to remain that way, but to his surprise, Draco said softly, "I'm sorry I couldn't stop the cabinet from falling. If I had helped you unload it, it wouldn't have fallen over, and you wouldn't be, well..." he gestured to Harry's current state.

Harry was shocked and somewhat confused by this other side of the boy he had fought with for years. Not sure how to react, he said, "Oh, um, it's not your fault. It was my job to move the cabinet, and there's no way you could've known it would fall".

Malfoy looked very relieved to know that Harry didn't blame him. The awkward silence the ensued was mercifully broken by the arrival of Madame Pomfrey and...Professor McGonagall? Looking quite stern, she turned to Draco and said, "Malfoy, as this was your fault, you will be staying with Potter until further notice. You are to keep an eye on him and make sure the internal bleeding doesn't cause any problems."

Sputtering, Malfoy exclaimed, "But it wasn't my fault!", and Harry nodded in agreement, although he was amused at McGonagall's idea. Draco with Harry, all the time? That was likely.

"No backtalk, Mr. Malfoy! I have made up my mind, and I expect you to be with Potter here until I say you may stop. Is that clear?" she looked at Draco with an expression that made him visibly wilt. He nodded, looking slightly abashed, but still maintaining his demeanor of haughty superiority.

Without another word, Professor McGonagall exited the room, leaving them all in a stunned silence. Madame Pomfrey was the first to move, and she said, "Well, Potter, I've got some bad news. You've got a dislocated shoulder and two broken ribs. Nothing I can't fix. But one of your ribs punctured the lining of your stomach, and you've got mild internal bleeding."

Harry was not pleased with this development. He had quittich practice tomorrow, and the match was next week! "Will I be able to play?" he asked weakly, already knowing the answer.

"Not if I can help it," said Madame Pomfrey, "now brace yourself. I need to snap your bones back into place."

He'd had a dislocated shoulder twice before and knew that it wasn't that bad, but he'd heard that broken ribs were a right pain. As Madame Pomfrey raised her wand, he instinctively grabbed Draco's hand. Before he could do anything about it, he felt his shoulder pop and heard a sickening crunch as his ribs were forced against each other. His eyes watering, he let out a pained sigh. It took a moment before he realized that he was holding Malfoy's hand. _Malfoy's_. He let go quickly, cheeks flaming, and looked up to see that Draco was equally uncomfortable.  
>"Sorry", he muttered.<p>

Did Potter just _hold his hand_? Malfoy could feel his face getting hot. He heard Harry apologize, and he grumbled back, "It's alright".

Looking satisfied with her work, Madame Pomfrey handed Harry a pain-relief potion and said, "Well, that's that. You're to stay here overnight, Potter, you hear?" she gave Malfoy a scathing look. "You too, Malfoy. You heard McGonagall." With that, she about-faced and marched through the doors to her quarters.

They were left alone, and the tension between them was palpable. "Erm," said Draco uncomfortably, "This is unexpected."

Potter snorted and replied, "You don't say."

"Git," Draco muttered darkly.

The next few minutes were filled with strained conversation and forced civility. Finally, Draco got fed up. Sighing, he said, "You know, Potter, we're going to have to figure out a way to tolerate each other." At Harry's amused expression, he rolled his eyes and said, "I don't want to do this either. You really think I'm going to enjoy being stuck with the most thick-headed Gryffindor ever?" Although he meant it as a joke, he felt a pang of guilt as the words left his mouth. He really did want them to get along. He glanced up to see Harry's slightly crestfallen expression correct itself to one of annoyance.

"Fine. I guess I can try to ignore the fact that I want to hex you whenever you're around," said Harry, with a gleam in his eye. Draco felt the built-up tension diffuse, and they both visibly relaxed.

"So," Draco said, leaning back in his chair, "Are you feeling okay?"

Harry looked for a moment like he was going to make a sarcastic remark, but said instead, "Yeah, I'm fine. I reckon that pain-relief potion is taking effect. I'm dead tired, though."

Malfoy smiled slightly, because he could indeed see Harry struggling to keep his eyes open. He was rather adorable when he was tired. _Damn, Draco, get yourself together._

"Yeah, I s'pose we should get to bed," he said, yawning. He too, was tired. It had been masked by adrenaline, but he could feel his limbs becoming heavy. He stood up and didn't even bother to take off his robes before slipping into bed.

He was drifting off a few minutes later when Harry said, "Goodnight, Draco."

_Did he just call me...Draco?_ He couldn't remember the last time they had addressed each other by first name, if there even was a time. "Yeah...goodnight, Harry," he said, still shocked. This faded into pleasure. He liked how his name sounded when Harry said it. As he fell asleep, he smiled to himself. Little did he know, Harry was doing the same.

_A/N: Well, what do you guys think? I personally love the little nuances in their conversations. And first-name-calling always gets me :,)_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the characters described in this story, nor do I own the Harry Potter world. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling.

_A/N: Sorry it's taken forever to get this chapter up. Better late than never, right?_

Harry woke the next morning feeling rather ill. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus his blurry vision. The room he was in had white walls and a high, arched ceiling. It took him a moment to recall what had happened the previous night, and came to the conclusion that he was in the hospital wing. He sighed and immediately regretted it as a sharp pain seared through his ribs. Grimacing, he sat up carefully to look around. He saw a small, graceful figure with white-blonde hair and creamy skin in the bed next to him, sleeping peacefully, and realized it was Malfoy. The full details of last night's detention came flooding back to him, and he blushed a bit. _Really, Harry, is Draco calling you by your first name something to get all hot and bothered about? _

Stretching his non-injured arm, Harry slowly stepped out of bed, in search of some school robes he could use. He nearly fell over when a warm hand clasped his shoulder. Whipping around (which turned out to be a poor idea), he was met by Malfoy's cool stare.

"No need to have a heart attack, Potter," Draco said, smirking. Harry pulled his arm away sourly.

"What are you sneaking up on me for?" he asked, slightly outraged. He really didn't need to be made a fool of by Draco Malfoy, especially when his ribs hurt so badly he could barely stand up.

"Just thought you might want to know your little Gryffindor friends dropped off your stuff. They're a bloody nuisance, by the way, waking me up at the crack of dawn and threatening me."

"What? Why would they threaten you?"

"They seem to think that I do not intend to take care of you."

"Gee, I wonder why."

"Wanker."

Harry looked up in time to see Malfoy smile ever so slightly. The sight was quite unnerving, as he had never seen any more than a sneer, but it was very pleasant. His strong, sharp features were accentuated when he smiled, and his eyes turned a warm gray. Forcing himself to look away, Harry said, "Well then, where are they?"

"Where are what?" Malfoy asked, looking as if he had just been pulled out of a trance.

"My robes, idiot. You said Ron and Hermione brought them up," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh. Right. I put them in your dresser."

Harry looked very surprised at this, but turned and walked to his dresser without another word. Smiling to himself, Draco pretended not to watch as Harry stripped his shirt off, revealing a rather pleasing torso. Shaking his head and deciding it would not be a good idea to watch the rest of the show, Draco turned and pulled out the robes Blaise had brought for him. He changed quickly, not noticing Harry's eyes on his chest.

He was very excited, though he would never admit it, that he would be spending so much time with Potter. Not that he daydreamed about it or anything (he most definitely did), but it would be nice.

It was Saturday, so they had the whole day to kill. Just as he was about to turn and ask Potter what the plan was, a livid-looking Madame Pomfrey barged in.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" she shrieked, and both boys cowered.

"Erm, getting dressed?" Harry asked hopefully, then recoiled at the look he was given.

"Back in bed this instant, Potter!" she turned to Draco, "And you, you had better not let me see you two trying to sneak out. Your job is to take care of him, Mr. Malfoy, and you'd best do it."

With that, she stormed out of the room. "Well," Harry said, "Good morning to you too."

The boys took one look at each other and dissolved into laughter. It felt good to laugh so freely, especially after such a tense morning. Wiping his eyes, Draco looked up to see Potter's amused expression turn to one of extreme pain. He let out a cry, clutching his side and slumping to the floor.

Horrified, Draco rushed over. He scooped Harry up and deposited him as gently as possible onto the cot. Harry's eyes were closed, but his breathing slowly turned normal again. Sighing in relief, Draco sat defeatedly beside him.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I've been better."

"Should I get Pomfrey?"

"No point. She said this would happen if I moved too quickly."

Feeling rather bold, Draco lifted Harry's head and moved a few pillows under it, then pulled the blanket up around him. His hands lingered a little too long at Harry's chest, and he pulled back quickly, mortified.

He glanced at Harry, who looked thoroughly amused and said, "What the Hell was that, Malfoy?"

"What? I'm supposed to take care of you, in case you've forgotten."

"Well, yeah, but there's no need to act like you're in love with me or something."

Feeling suddenly like he was going to cry, Draco turned away and said, "Oh. Right. Yeah. Sorry." His voice broke a little, and he hoped with all his heart that Harry didn't notice. Before Harry could say anything, he muttered "Be right back" and raced to the bathroom, tears already spilling down his cheeks. _Get yourself _together_, Goddammit! _He held his breath and forced himself to stop crying. He knew Harry hated him. How could he be so stupid, acting like Potter's bloody boyfriend? He splashed water on his face and dried it. After waving his wand across his face to reduce the redness and swelling, he turned and, with false confidence, marched out the door.

_What the Hell just happened?_ Harry had been joking around, and couldn't understand for the life of him why Draco had left so abruptly. _Unless... No, that's impossible. He's Draco Malfoy. _He stared at his hands, nervously contemplating what he should say. He looked up when he hears footsteps and saw a completely composed-looking Draco walking towards him. Harry thought the change in attitude was a bit odd, but he liked happy Draco better, so he decided not to press the matter.

"Well then," Draco said, his voice sounding rough, "this should be fun. What the bloody Hell are we meant to do in here all day?"

Harry had to agree, their day didn't look very promising. "I suppose Ron and Hermione will come visit," he said, and he thought for a moment that he saw Draco's face fall.

Draco nodded, sitting on his bed. After a long silence, Harry sighed and said, "We're not going to get through this unless we can have a decent conversation. So, how are you?"

Draco looked amused, but said, "I've been better. Sitting in the hospital wing isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday."

Harry felt his mood plummet, though he didn't know why. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that."

Shaking his head quickly, Draco said, "No, it isn't your fault. It could be fun, actually. Blaise brought my chess board and some sweets from Honeydukes. Want a chocolate frog?"

His heart doing a little dance, Harry nodded, smiling a bit. Chocolate was never a bad idea. He took the brightly-colored package from Draco's outstretched hand, relishing the light brush of skin. As he popped the squirmy little thing into his mouth, he examined his card. _Merlin. Again. God, you'd think they could come up with something a bit more creative. _"You going to have one?" he asked, noticing that Draco's mouth wasn't full of the gooey chocolate.

Draco shook his head, pulling out a licorice snap. "I prefer something a little more zesty."

They both broke into laughter, which lightened the mood considerably. "You know what?" he decided, "I'm going to ask Ron and Hermione to come tomorrow."

This time he definitely wasn't imagining things, he saw Draco's face light up. It took him a moment to stop staring at the way his pale, milky skin was complemented by his icy eyes and dark shirt. Draco smiled (which made Harry's heart do very inappropriate things) and said, "Ok. Um...what do you want to do?"

"Dunno."

"Well I don't know either."

"Fantastic."

"Fine, Potter, I'll come up with something. You just rest your little head."

"Sod off, Malfoy."

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

Harry smiled as Draco pulled out a very nice, very expensive-looking chess board. "First," Draco said, "a game of chess. So I can demolish and humiliate you and not be murdered by Madame Pomfrey."

He rolled his eyes, though Draco's statement didn't have any bite to it. Draco won, of course. It only took him five moves to completely obliterate Harry's pieces, which he had to respect. "God, Malfoy, how often do you play?"

Draco shrugged and said, "I have a lot of free time."

"Oh, I thought that would be filled up with making evil plans and coordinating my death." Harry had meant it as a joke, but he winced as he said it.

Draco looked at his hands. "Not all of us are bad, you know," he said softly.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was joking. Wasn't very funny, though, was it?"

"No, no it wasn't. It's the thought that counts though, right?"

"Right."

Harry helped himself to another chocolate frog as he thought. _Maybe he really doesn't hate me. I mean, he hasn't tried to kill me yet, and that counts for something, at least. _He watched Draco as the other boy chewed on a rather feisty licorice snap. Draco Malfoy, he thought, was a very attractive man.

_A/N: Sorry, this chapter's a bit pointless. Just trying to get some character development up in here. Next chapter will be more exciting, I promise! Let me know what you think :)_


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